Peter was born in Votkinsk, Russia. He became a lawyer at the age of 19.

He began the study of music theory at a relatively late age: 21 To make up for his late start, Peter composed furiously. He got married, but was very unhappy. Not knowing what to do, he tried to kill himself by wading in to the icy cold Moscow River. He got pneumonia but it didn’t kill him – he was in a coma for two days.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

He separated from his wife, never to see her again. In the meantime, he entered into the service of a wealthy noble woman. In 1891, he traveled to New York, where he participated in the dedication ceremony of Carnegie Hall.

Carnegie Hall – New York

Tchaikovsky’s music contains beautiful melodies that stretch and leap widely. His treatment of the orchestra is quite colorful. His music is full of contrasts.

Tchaikovsky loved his family and would remain close to them throughout his life. It was a huge opportunity when he was asked compose the 1812 Overture in tribute to the defeat of Napoleon sixty years before this.

This overture is a piece of “program music”. (A piece based on a storyline) Tchaikovsky confessed that he found this piece “very loud”. The beginning is a Russian chant called “Save Us, O Lord”. It starts very slowly.

The symphony orchestra doubled in size during the Romantic era, achieving its present size of about 100 players. As it grew, and as improvements were made, the orchestra’s expressive qualities became the main focus of composers.

Tchaikovsky often used the different sections of the orchestra against each other for contrast.

After this solemn beginning, you can hear bits of the French National Anthem which are counterattacked by bits of the folk song “U vorot”. This is a musical fight! You can hear the different parts of the orchestra playing against each other.

The theme of marching armies follows, carried out by the horns. The French national anthem reflects the French victories in the war and the capture of Moscow in September The Russian folk dance theme expresses the battle beating back Napoleon. The music dies away as the forces of Napoleon retreat from Russia.

The firing of cannon reflects the military advances toward the French borders. With the end of the conflict over, we return to the peal of bells and fireworks for the victory and the liberation of Russia from the French.

Below the cannon and the horns, we hear the Russian national anthem, “God Save the Tsar”. The actual cannon blasts used by Tchaikovsky are usually played by a bass drum. When this piece is performed, often it will use real cannon fire!

Although the 1812 Overture was not his favorite or his best piece, Tchaikovsky is often remembered because of this piece.